What is National Archery in the Schools Project (NASP)?

The goal of teaching 5 million new archers each year! The NASP offers a two-week course in Olympic-style target archery to physical education students in grades 4-12. It began 2 years ago in the state of Kentucky as a somewhat unusual example of intergovernmental cooperation when the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) partnered to return the life sport of archery to the school system in that state. The core curriculum covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration and self-improvement. Kids use state of the art equipment to shoot at bulls-eye targets placed before an arrow-resistant net in their gymnasium. Before presenting the two-week archery course, educators undergo a 12-hour National Archery Association (NAA) Level I archery training program which certifies their ability to teach the sport safely and effectively. What do people say about the program? "The students absolutely love it," said Connie Shackleford, the Kentucky Department of Education's P.E. Curriculum Consultant. "I've been involved in health and physical education for more than 27 years and I've never seen a program that has grown this quickly. Student's behavior has been affected in a positive way. The curriculum is both structured and fun at the same time." Response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive from all fronts. Students love the program as some “non-jocks” discover a sport in which they excel. Teachers and administrators notice improved attendance and behavior on archery days. Many schools have started after-school archery clubs. Kentucky has enrolled 207 schools in the first two years of this program. Over 200,000 students will learn archery during school hours in their P.E. classes during the 2003-2004 school year. As exciting as this is, it gets better. Kentucky’s success has spilled over quickly to many other states. Arizona, Alabama, Wyoming, Georgia and West Virginia have cloned the program and have pilot school systems delivering the NASP curriculum. Additionally, we will be training and implementing the program in five more states this spring. Educators-Download the NASP presentation from the State of Alabama or the presentation from the State of Kentucky (its large and will take quite a while) 3-D Times Articles on the NASP McPherson Gives $$$ Archery Training Kentucky Schools Compete In Largest Tournament Of Its Kind   Alabama Joins NASP   90,000 Kids Can't Be Wrong!   Kentucky Leads The Nation w/Archery   Next Olympian From Kentucky?